In 1997, Starbucks was beginning to expand outside of the U.S. and Canada and introduced the first of its holiday cups to generate interest, swapping the standard design for red cups with festive imagery on them.

Each year a different design was featured on the red background, and the campaign became a swift success with the public.

The cups not only welcomed the arrival of the festive season, but signify the beginning of Starbucks’ holiday menu — including novel flavors such as ‘Pumpkin Spice’ and ‘Chestnut Praline’ latte.

In this way, the campaign repeats annually, remaining fresh by adding new designs and drink flavors every year, and even inspiring similar campaigns from rivals such as Dunkin’ Donuts.

The reaction on social media, and subsequently among celebrities, ensured that the campaign reached an enormous global audience: in the 13 weeks leading to December 27th, the company made sales 11.9% higher than the previous year.

Somewhat ironically, in producing their most minimal and plain design of the campaign, Starbucks initiated a storm in a coffee cup which returned billions in sales.

Winning Early Holiday Promotion

Starbucks is the first brand that comes to mind when I think of holiday campaigns. Their products are on people’s mind from September through January.

They create a buzz that puts people on the edge of their seats as they wait for the release of their holiday cups.